CHAPTER 2 — “The Name on the Paper”
The diner stayed silent longer than it should have.
Even the biker outside had stopped revving his engine.
Jax didn’t move.
His hand still pressed over the faded photo like he was trying to erase it from existence.
The boy didn’t blink.
He just held the folded paper tighter.
Finally… Jax exhaled.
Slow. Controlled. But broken at the edges.
“Where did your mother get this?” he asked.
His voice wasn’t loud.
That made it worse.
The waitress stepped closer without realizing it. Her instincts told her this wasn’t just a stranger conversation anymore.
The boy hesitated.
“She said… you saved her once. Then you disappeared.”
Jax’s jaw tightened.
A muscle in his cheek flickered.
For the first time, he looked older than 48.
“Your mother’s name,” he said quietly.
The boy unfolded the paper.
Carefully.
Like it mattered more than anything in the world.
He pushed it across the counter.
Jax looked down.
And froze completely.
The name written there wasn’t just familiar.
It belonged to a life he buried.
A life he never spoke about.
The waitress saw it first.
Her eyes narrowed.
“You know her,” she said.
It wasn’t a question anymore.
Jax didn’t answer.
May you like
Because outside, the sound of motorcycles began to fade.
Like even the world was waiting for him to admit the truth.
